^ 79.V and reached even that with much labour and difficulty; not only in con-
fequence o f the violence of the wind, which had nearly driven them from
the land, but becaufe, in their endeavours to approach the ffiores, the
Chatham’s cutter ffiipped fome heavy feas, and was in imminent danger
o f being loft. Patoa is reprefented by Mr. Whidbey as a roadftead affording
good anchorage ; I its depth o f water from 1 o to 20 fathoms,
fandy bottom; the former within half a mile, the latter about a mile o f
the ffiore, where there is an excellent run o f freffi water, though the place
is inconvenient for filling calks expeditioully, as the water takes its courfe
amongft fome rugged rocks over which large calks could not be rolled.
This difficulty, however, might eafily be furmounted by allowing the
calks to remain on the beach, where the natives, for a very fmall reward,
would foon fill them. The foundings from the Ihip were regular
all the way to Patoa ; a ftation eafily found, by attending to the following
defcription.
The large bay already noticed, lying before the ifthmus before mentioned,
has its weftern fide formed' by high rocky precipices, that rife
perpendicularly from the fea. T o the weft ward o f thefe precipices the
coaft ismhiefly compofed of fandy beaches, and the mountains, at fome
diftance from the Ihore, form two remarkable vallies, feparated from
each other by a high rugged mountain, feemingly detached from the
reft, and approaching nearer to the beach than thofe to the right and
left of it. The anchorage at Patoa: is a-breaft of the eafternmoft of
thele vallies, which appeared to be fruitful and well cultivated.
The boats remained, at this ftation until the next morning, when they
proceeded along ffiore to the eaftward, and found the fame foundings
until they were a-breaft of the rocky precipices; here they’gained no.
ground ; but, clofe to the ffiore the bottom, which is rocky, was reached
with 20 fathoms of line. Thefe precipices extend about a league from
Patoa, in the line of the ffiore, then trend more northerly, and at the
diftance of about four miles join the low land o f the ifthmus ; before
this lies a reef, or rather detached patches of rocks, at the diftance of
near a quarter of a mile from the ffiore ; without which the foundings
are regular and good. The weftern fide o f the-large bay is formed
cf.by
by thefe precipices or cliffs; its oppofite ffiore about four miles diftant,.
takes a north direction from the Volcano hill; the depth of the bay is
there fomewhat increafed; the foundings on the eaftern fide are regular,
but very rocky.
Nearly in the middle of its weftern fide is a village, called by the natives
Mackerrey; off this there is anchorage in 7 fathoms water, a little
more than a quarter o f a mile from the ffiore, the bottom fand and
broken coral. This fituation is land-locked in every direction, excepting
between Tahowrowa and Rannai, where to the fouth-weftward it is
expofed about two points of the compafs, but not liable I believe to
much wind from that quarter. The neighbouring ffiores afford good
landing, and, in moderate weather, the communication is eafily effeded;
but, the negleCted and impoveriffied ftate of the furrounding country offers
no inducements to ftrangers, under its prefent circumftances, to make
choice of it as a {topping, or refting place; though it is probably one of
the belt ffieltered and molt convenient anchorages which thefe iflands pof-
fefs. In all likelihood, good water might with little labour be procured at
a fmall diftance to the fouthward of the village, from the upper part of a
ftream that was found ruffling ; through.the loofe fand compofing the
beach; though juft below high water mark it was fomewhat brackiffi.
The inhabitants, who are generally nice in this particular, procure their
water from this run at low tide. The examination of this bay being the
limits o f Mr. Whidbey’s excurfion to the eaftward, he returned to the
ffiip ; from whence he continued his refearches round the weftern point of
Raheina roadftead, and found the ffiores bounded by a reef, which admits
of only one landing place for boats, and that a very indifferent one, at the
eaftern part of the village. From the ffiip to. the ffiore the foundings
were regular, decreafing to 5 fathoms clofe to the reef, extending in
general about a fourth of a mile from the beach, and not exceeding that
diftance from the weft point of the roadftead; where, on the north fide
of that point the reef terminates. This point, with the Weft extremity
of Mowee, which is bold and free from rocks or other impediments,
forms an excellent little bay; its outer points lie. from each other
n. 14 w, and s. 14 e. about a league afunder. The northern point is
C c 2 formed